


to feel you breathe.

by lakshmi



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Character Death, Comfort, Hurt, episode 68 totally happened and i wanted to die! so here, siblings being siblings, so like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 03:58:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14488314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lakshmi/pseuds/lakshmi
Summary: To see him breathe and hear him speak brought her crashing back down, back to being safe. To not being alone. She pulls herself together, and rushes forward between the various members to be with him. Cassandra touches his skin -- icy, pale -- and his hair, whatever she can get her hands on, really, to know he’s alive and palpable. Real. There are hot tears that threaten to fall, clouding the corners of her vision.‘  you scared me, I thought you were -- ‘But Vex’ahlia cuts her off, tells her not to worry about it. Which, of course, Cassandra will do regardless.





	to feel you breathe.

At first, Cassandra had been overjoyed to hear the return of Vox Machina -- until the hurried guard mentioned an unconscious form with shock-white hair resting atop the shoulders of the goliath. She remembers the instant shock, the way her heart had seemed to simply cease beating within its already fragile cage; the cold, seeping into her bones, combated by hot and flashing adrenaline suddenly rushing through her veins. She’d ran, faster than she had in a very long time. A few members of the Council had followed her, sure, but she couldn’t tell anyone who it had been; she’d been too distracted by the prospect of her dead brother.

‘ where is he? ‘ 

To see him breathe and hear him speak brought her crashing back down, back to being safe. To not being alone. She pulls herself together, and rushes forward between the various members to be with him. Cassandra touches his skin -- icy, pale -- and his hair, whatever she can get her hands on, really, to know he’s alive and palpable. Real. There are hot tears that threaten to fall, clouding the corners of her vision. 

‘ you scared me, I thought you were -- ‘ 

But Vex’ahlia cuts her off, tells her not to worry about it. Which, of course, Cassandra will do regardless. 

‘ stop getting into trouble, brother. ‘ a pause. ‘ please? ‘ 

 

Percival laughs, hollow. 

 

‘ well, just a few more dragons, and then I’ll take a break. it’ll be fine. I’m tired. ‘ 

 

Cassandra doesn’t laugh. She smiles, but the weight in the room begins to press down upon her, and she can feel it. There’s a distinct ache in her back, her fingers are chilled from the - his body, now living; and she does realise that a resurrection of some sort had taken place here, mere moments ago. She holds his hand tighter, runs a hand through his hair. 

‘ Pike? ‘ she turns. nods to the champion. ‘ thank you. ‘ 

She doesn’t know what else to say to someone who’s just brought her only family back from the dead. To be honest, she isn’t sure if it’s sufficient. She breathes a heavy sigh. 

‘ get some food in you, and stop being so bloody useless. ‘ Cassandra, without any remorse, slaps him upside the head and leaves. A mask for her true emotions, yes, but it’s all she can do to keep herself together right now.  
\------------------

 

Later, after they’ve gotten her brother stable and fed, she finds him in his room with a cup of tea. She knocks, as is habit, but does not wait for a reply before entering. It’s a dangerous game, as always. 

‘ Cassandra? ‘ he looks up from his book as she enters, closing the door behind her. ‘ oh. we’re talking, aren’t we? ‘ 

She nods, placing the cup at his bedside before sitting on the edge of the mattress, near the end. ‘ something to that effect, yes. I… have questions. lots of them. ‘ 

He puts his book down, straightens his glasses. Percival doesn’t speak for a few moments, merely looking her over and matching her gaze. He gathers she’s still just as shaken as the rest of the group, but he can’t imagine what kind of shock she went though. 

Neither can she. 

‘ are you well, brother? I’m not talking about your injuries. ‘ 

And he knows very well that isn’t what she refers to. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but instead closes it again and shrugs. Shakes his head. 

‘ I -- I don’t know much about resurrection spells. I don’t know what they do to people, or … what kinds of barriers one must pass through to return to the living world. But, Percy, it’s … it’s just me. ‘ 

He’s not sure that makes it any easier. He does, however, reach for her hand, which she gives easily. ‘ Listen, sister, are you … sure you want to hear this? It isn’t pretty, and… you deal with enough inelegance on a daily basis. ‘ 

Cassandra insists, squeezing his hand lightly. 

So Percy takes a breath, sighs heavily. ‘ it was Ripley who fired the shot, Orthax who … claimed me, I suppose. he’s gone now, and won’t be returning. not while I have a say in it. but, he … um. fed on my soul, essentially. it was rather messy, and complicated things. ‘ 

She fights to keep her breath calm, but the prospect of losing her brother nearly sealed the deal mere hours ago. ‘ complicated things? Percival, I thought you were dead. gone. they told me you did not draw breath, that you were little more than a ragdoll in strongjaw’s arms -- ‘ 

‘ I was. ‘ he says, simply. ‘ I’m -- I’m here. I’m here, Cass, and I’m not going anywhere. at least for today, tomorrow. and then we fight another dragon, but … but I will be here. you know that, right? tell me you do. I need you to. ‘ 

But she’s unsure, treading on unfamiliar ground. She’s lost her brother before, but in a very different way. He takes her hesitance for denial, and gingerly shifts himself into a more upright position and pats the spot beside him. 

‘ because even if I were to die, you would not be alone. ‘ he whispers into her hair, holding her as close as his wounds allow. ‘ the Briarwoods are dead and gone, and so is Ripley. gone, Cassandra. you are surrounded by incredibly smart, wonderful, kind people. people you can trust. ‘ 

He falls silent. She isn’t used to this side of her brother -- the open, honest side of his coin. Cassandra has yet to find hers, and doesn’t imagine she ever will. At the very least, not on her own. 

‘ and, as we now know, I’m not dead. so, yes, I am here. you know where to find me. ‘ 

Percy kisses her on the forehead and she knows she does.


End file.
